Apparatus for propelling buoyant vehicles



March 21, 1967 s o s 3,310,020

APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING BUOYANT VEHICLES Original Filed Sept. 26, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ARTHUR J. SLEMMONS ATTORNEY March 21, 1967 A. J. SLEMMONS 3,310,020

APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING BUOYANT VEHICLES Original Filed Sept. 26, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FEE EE QTIB E WL' Q 142 132 WLH wL WE. 4511} 13 INVENTOR ARTHUR J. SLEMMONS BY MM;

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,310,020 APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING BUOYANT VEHICLES Arthur J. Slemmons, Los Gatos, Calif., assignor to FMC Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Original application Sept. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 311,695, now Patent No. 3,238,913, dated Mar. 8, 1966. Divided and this application Nov. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 507,789 6 Claims. (Cl. 1151) This invention relates to amphibious vehicles and more particularly to hydro-dynamic devices that lift and propel such vehicles in water.

This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 311,695 filed Sept. 26, 1963 now Patent No. 3,238,913 issued Mar. 8, 1966.

Known amphibious vehicles of the type having endless orbiting tracks that are effective to propel the vehicle over various types of terrain and in water have been largely successful. This invention provides hydrodynamic devices that lift and propel the vehicle in water by including hydrofoil blades that are movable relative to the vehicle body and operative to induce lift and thrust forces on the vehicle. In turn, such lift and thrust forces, respectively, raise and propel the vehicle through the water with the lift force being of such a magnitude that the hull of the vehicle is raised partially or totally out of the water and the resistance to motion of the vehicle through the water is greatly reduced.

In certain embodiments of the invention, in addition to lifting the vehicle body, the hydrofoil blades constrain the body to assume a pitch or trim angle, relative to the direction of motion, that tilts the bow upwardly relative to the stern and thus a planing angle is produced that minimizes bow wave resistance and reduces parasitic drag between the vehicle body and the water.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for propelling buoyant vehicles.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new track for propelling vehicles over land or water with the track being operative to impose a lifting force to the vehicle during propulsion in water.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new track having a formed portion on each link that generates lift and propulsive forces when moved in liquid such as water.

Another object of this invention is to provide hydrofoil elements on selected links of endless tracks that are operable to lift and propel the vehicle associated therewith so that the vehicle is raised and propelled in water.

Another object of this invention is to'provide hydrofoils on the wheels of a wheel propelled vehicle which fulfill some of the above stated objects.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustration one form which the invention may assume in practice.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic fragmentary of a wheeled vehicle body showing one of the wheels in section taken along the line 11 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic fragmentary longitudinal section along the line 33 of FIGURE 4 of a wheeled vehicle, particularly showing another application of the hydrofoil blades of the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a partial side elevation of the vehicle shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic front elevation of another wheel propelled vehicle showing each of the wheel treads embraced by a chain having axially extending hydrofoil blades.

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic side elevation of FIG- URE 5.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the wheels of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged section of one wheel of FIGURE 6 taken substantially along the line 88 of FIGURE 7.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is shown a fragmentary portion of a buoyant body 97 having an outwardly extending powered shaft or axle 99 and a low pressure bag-type wheel 101 secured to the shaft 99 in any suitable manner. The wheel 101 includes an outer annular side wall 102, a ground engaging tread portion 103, and an inner annular side wall 104. Each of the side walls have outwardly axial extending circumferentially spaced hydrofoil blades 106 made of the same material as the wheel 101 and molded integral to each of the side walls in cantilever fashion. When the vehicle body 97 is at rest in water, the water line may assume a position shown by the line WLWL. It will be noted, therefore, that approximately 40 percent of the blades 106 are above the water line, they therefore do not contribute to lift or propel the vehicle through the water, and do not retard the vehicles advance through the water. Rotation of the wheels 101 causes the blades 106 to be moved relative to the water and such movement produces hydrodynamic forces on each of the blades which are efiective to cause propulsion and lift of the vehicle.

Now referring to FIGURES 3 and 4, a buoyant vehicle body 108 is shown including a prime mover 110 and output shafts 112 that provide transmission of power to gear boxes 114. Each of the gear boxes 114 is operative to rotate shafts 116 in the same direction to turn wheels 118, which are rigidly secured to the shafts 116, in any suitable manner as by nuts 120. The illustrated wheels include a planar circular disc 122 and a thread portion 124 secured to the circumference of the disc 122. A plurality of hydrofoil blades 126 are rigidly secured to opposite sides of the discs 122 in circumferentially spaced relation and radially inwardly from the treads 124 as shown. When the vehicle body 108 is immersed in water line is shown by the plane WLWL so that a little more than 50 percent of each of the wheels is below the waterline, thus being generally similar to the modifications shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Powered rotation of the wheels 118 produce hydrodynamic forces on each of the blades which are effective to propel and lift the vehicle in the water.

The embodiment shown in FIGURES 5-8 includes a buoyant body 130 having pairs of transversely aligned longitudinally spaced wheels 132 secured to rotatable axes 134 extending laterally outwardly from the body 130. The wheels 132 are preferably low pressure bagtype tires which contribute toward buoyancy. A plurality of plates 136 are pivotally connected together to form an endless chain 138 (FIG. 7) that is wrapped around the tread portion of the wheels 132. Hydrodynamic blades 140 are secured to alternate ones of the plates 136 to define a circular circumferentially spaced series of blades 140 as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. When the vehicle is motionless and floating in water, the waterline WL-WL (FIG. 6) is slightly above the axles 134. Rotation of the Wheels, in the direction of the arrows on the wheels, causes propulsion of the vehicle in the direction of the arrow R by virtue of the propulsion and lift forces produced by the blades 140 in accordance with the principles described in connection with the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the parent application. In the event the vehicle is loaded to such an extent that the water line is above the wheels, shown by the line WL'-WL', arcuate fences or fenders 142, secured to the body 130 so that they are closely adjacent the periphery of the wheels 132 and the orbit described by the blades 140, may be provided to prevent the water from being carried in orbit of the blades thus effecting flow discontinuity in that region of the wheel periphery traversing the projected area of the fences 142. Thus the blades 140 are unable to produce hydrodynamic forces acting in opposition to the vehicle motion. If desired, fences, similar to fences 142, may be provided with the vehicle shown in FIGS. 14.

While there is in this application specifically described various forms which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that the various forms are shown for purposes of illustration only and the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from the disclosed principles or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for propelling a buoyant vehicle in water comprising, propulsion wheels on said vehicle, and means on said wheels for developing hydrodynamic forces during rotation thereof in water, said means extending generally parallel to the axis of rotation of said wheels, said means being in the shape of hydrofoil blades so that during translation thereof through the water, a vertical force urging the vehicle upwardly and a horizontal force in the direction of a desired vehicle motion are produced, the wheels of said vehicle comprise rubber tires mounted on discs, and said hydrofoil blades being secured on said discs.

2. An apparatus for propelling a buoyant vehicle in water comprising, propulsion wheels on said vehicle, and means on said wheels for developing hydrodynamic forces during rotation thereof in water, said means extending generally parallel to the axis of rotation of said wheels, said means being in the shape of hydrofoil blades so that translation thereof through the water, a vertical force urging the vehicle upwardly and a horizontal force in the direction of desired vehicle motion are produced, wherein each blade is integral with at least one side wall of the tire.

3. An apparatus for propelling a buoyant wheel propelled vehicle in water comprising, endless bands of pivotally connected members disposed on the tread portion of said wheel, hydrodynamic blade means secured to certain ones of said members to extend parallel to the axis of said wheels, said blade means being in the shape of a hydrofoil blade so that during translation thereof through water a vertical force, urging the vehicle upwardly, and a horizontal force, in the direction of desired vehicle motion, are produced,

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the hydrodynamic forces are effective to lift the vehicle an amount sufficient to locate said upper reach above the water line.

5. The combination of claim 3 further comprising shrouds at the ends of said blades.

6. The combination of claim 3 further comprising a shroud adjacent the upper run of said bands to substantially prevent flow of water upwardly relative to the upper run.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 728,758 5/1903 Piller 19 957,167 5/1910 Kempshall 152-353 X 1,526,258 2/1925 Trasky 115-1 1,657,180 1/1928 Roberts 115-19 X FOREIGN PATENTS 600,343 4/1948 Great Britain.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

ANDREW H. FARREL, Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING A BUOYANT VEHICLE IN WATER COMPRISING, PROPULSION WHEELS ON SAID VEHICLE, AND MEANS ON SAID WHEELS FOR DEVELOPING HYDRODYNAMIC FORCES DURING ROTATION THEREOF IN WATER, SAID MEANS EXTENDING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID WHEELS, SAID MEANS BEING IN THE SHAPE OF HYDROFOIL BLADES SO THAT DURING TRANSLATION THEREOF THROUGH THE WATER, A VERTICAL FORCE URGING THE VEHICLE UPWARDLY AND A HORI- 